Scottish Executive

Education

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a list of all specialist schools, detailing their area of expertise.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many state secondary schools have become specialist schools since 1999.

Euan Robson: No central list is kept of schools which may be designated by an education authority, or by the school itself, as "specialist". However, the following local authority managed schools are in receipt of support funding, via the education authority, either on an annual basis through the specialist provision programme for Centres of Excellence under the National Priorities Action Fund, or on a pilot basis through the Future Learning and Teaching programme, for the development of aspects of specialist educational provision.

  Centres of Excellence Funding Area of Specialism

  Bellahouston Academy, Glasgow* Sport

  Broughton High School, Edinburgh Music

  Douglas Academy, Bearsden Music

  Dyce Academy, Aberdeen* Music

  Knightswood Secondary, Glasgow Dance

  Plockton High School, Highland* Music

  Shawlands Academy, Glasgow* Modern Languages

  In addition, Centres of Excellence funding supports the Fife Music Project* (musical excellence provision for a number of Fife schools), and the Partners in Excellence Project*, bringing enhanced modern language provision to schools across East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Argyll and Bute.

  Future Learning and Teaching funding Area of Specialism

  Braidhurst Academy, Motherwell* Sport

  St Ambrose’s High School, Coatbridge* Music

  St Margaret’s High School, Airdrie* Sport

  St Maurice’s High School, Cumbernauld* Sport

  *Specialism developed since 1999.

Education

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools it envisages will become specialist schools during the current session of the Parliament.

Euan Robson: It is not possible to make such a prediction.

Justice

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what sentencing guidelines there are in respect of environmental crime.

Hugh Henry: There are no sentencing guidelines issued in Scotland. The matter of sentencing, within the parameters set by Parliament, is entirely one for the judiciary who hear all the circumstances of the offence and the offender, plus any mitigating factors put forward by the accused’s representative. The independence of the judiciary is a fundamental principle of the Scottish legal system and ministers attach great importance to judicial discretion in sentencing.

  However, as outlined in the Executive’s Partnership For A Better Scotland, we are committed to taking strong action to reduce environmental crime by strengthening the enforcement of environmental law, including consideration of the establishment of environmental courts and the setting up of a network of area specialists in this field. In addition, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is considering methods by which courts themselves can be made more aware of the impact and severity of environmental crimes, ensuring robust and effective prosecutions where necessary.

Road Accidents

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents have taken place at or near the level crossing at Invergordon Distillery in the last three years.

Nicol Stephen: As the location of the level crossing is within the boundary of the Distillery, and not on a public road, such statistics are not covered by the Executive's road accident statistics system.

  However, Network Rail has advised that there has been on average one potentially serious incident every year for the last five years. Because of the increased use of the crossing, Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate have requested that the distillery finds a solution that removes the risk from the railway by the end of the year.